


Operation Opera

by crab2



Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic), Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:13:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crab2/pseuds/crab2
Summary: Soleil and Lune have teamed up to form Eclipse and take down the Phantom Scythe together, but when a mission goes wrong, their teamwork will be tested.
Relationships: Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	Operation Opera

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction so just ignore it if it's bad lmao. Enjoy!

Kieran gestured to the opera house floor plan that was laid out on the desk. The sounds of trickling water mingled with the suffocating silence that filled the air of the cave. The tension was so thick he was tempted to reach out and grab it, to get rid of it in any way he could. Normally he was fine with such oppressive silence, such radiating hatred, but it felt different with these people. 

"So," began Will, his eyebrow raised, "can I presume you have a plan for us?" The skepticism in his eyes seemed to pierce through Kieran's chest. Why did that hurt him so much? He should be fine with this. He was used to being hated by whomever else happened to occupy the space he was in. It was a given for Kieran, to the point where it was almost stranger for someone to be comfortable in his presence. A shame that Kym and Will hated him now. He was just starting to enjoy their companionship. 

"Yes, I have a plan for us." Answered Kieran. "I got word from a contact of mine within the Scythe that there is to be some sort of tradeoff at the Opera House tomorrow night. Apparently, whatever is being traded is going to be handed off to the Fifth Apostle. Directly. Which means that whatever it is, is guaranteed to be dangerous." Kieran glanced back up from the floor plan. The rest of Eclipse did not seem very excited about the direction that this mission was going in. 

"How do we even know we can trust this information? If you ask me it's way too good to be true, and way too easy." Kym questioned. Kieran didn't fail to catch the little dig she had made about trust. He tried to shrug it off, but found it harder to forget than expected.

"It doesn't matter." Lauren countered. "It's a necessary risk. Whatever is being traded is going to be important. And, the Fifth is going to be there in person. We may never get a chance like this again." Kieran suddenly felt a rush of appreciation for Lauren. Ever since Lune and Soleil teamed up to form Eclipse, he had been really feeling the harsh divide between him and his co-workers. Ever since they found out who he was, they had been icy towards him. They had been extremely protective of Lauren around him as well. And honestly, how could he blame them? Their mistrust, their fear was justified. 

"Kym, Lauren's right. We don't have a choice here. If we can unmask the Fifth, it'll be a huge step towards finding the Leader." Kym nodded grimly at Will's statement. 

"Alright then, now that we're all agreed," Kieran started "here's the plan. I had Lauren purchase three tickets for us earlier. Kym, Will, and I will be in a box seat directly across from where the tradeoff is meant to occur. We wait until we see the trade, and then we intercept the Fifth with the goods on the stairwell. Simplicity itself. The Fifth won't be expecting trouble because the meeting is meant to be a secret. No one knows about it except for him and his supplier." 

"And us." Lauren cut in.

"And us." Kieran grinned. He felt as if he was getting his partner back. Slowly but surely, Lune was mending. Kym and Will seemed less pleased with Kieran's closeness to their friend. 

"You said the three of us are in the box seat. Where's Lauren in this grand scheme of yours?" Will challenged. Kieran met his eye. Soleil wasn't going to like this part. In all honesty, Kieran didn't care for it much either, but it was necessary.

"Lauren will be our eyes in the sky. She'll be up in the rafters keeping an eye on everything that we cant see from our position. She'll also be in charge of following the supplier from the theatre after the trade is made to see where the supplies are coming from." Kieran explained. Both Kym and Will opened their mouths at the same time to object. Kieran cut them off. "I know, I know, it's too dangerous, ect. ect. What you both need to understand here is that, all due respect, neither of you have the skills to scale the rafters unnoticed. Lauren is much more gifted in the realm of stealth than either of you, and I'll need all the help I can get from the two of you in overwhelming the Fifth after the trade. This is the safest and most surefire way to catch both the supplier and the Apostle in one go." Kym and Will remained skeptical. Kieran could see it in their eyes as they assessed him from across the desk. He knew that look. It was the look of someone trying to decide if it was safer to dispose of him now or later. He never expected to be on the receiving end of that stare from these two, but here he was. Soleil was unified in their distrust of Kieran. He sensed Lauren come up behind him. When had that happened? When had he become so used to her presence? So comfortable with it that he welcomed her closeness to him. When had he become so attuned to her movements? When Lauren spoke, Kieran was surprised by the way in which it soothed him.

"Kieran's right. This is our best shot. We get in, we watch the trade, we intercept the Fifth as he's escaping. We find the Fifth," at this Lauren stabbed her knife into the map where Kieran had predicted the Apostle to attempt his escape, "we're that much closer to finding the Leader." Kieran looked up and grinned at the rest of Eclipse.

"Well then officers, it looks as if we have a plan." 

\----------------------------------

The night of the trade-off, Kieran found himself nervous. He couldn't quite pin down why he was so uneasy, but he felt it in his gut. He glanced over to where Kym and Will were standing, both dressed for the opera, as he was. Lauren rounded the corner in her usual Lune attire. Kieran hadn't seen her in it since before the tower incident. Something in him warmed at the sight. His partner was coming back to him. 

"Alright then!" He exclaimed, ready to get this night over with and put whatever feeling this was behind him. "Let's get a move on, officers!" The journey to the opera house was mostly silent, except for the occasional confirmation of the plan. They stopped the car they had rented under a false name for the sake of fitting in a few blocks away from their destination to let Lauren out. Kieran gripped the wheel much tighter than was necessary, considering the car wasn't even in motion. 

"Good luck, Laur." Kym said as Lauren stepped from the passenger seat and onto the sidewalk. Will echoed the sentiment. Kieran felt another jolt of anxiety and reached out to grab Lauren's wrist. What on Earth was wrong with him. She glanced back at him in confusion.

"Just… be careful. Okay?" Kieran muttered. Lauren nodded with a smile, that quicksilver grin he had grown so fond of, shut the door and melted in the shadows. Kieran tried to ignore how letting go of her wrist had felt so supremely wrong as he pulled away from the curb. He saw the glimpse of Lauren's silhouette as she made her way across the rooftops to the dome of the opera house. Kieran pulled up to the valet area and stepped out of the car. Kym and Will came to stand beside him as the vehicle was driven around the side of the building. They made their way through the entryway in silence. They flashed their tickets to an usher before climbing the stairs to the box seat. Everything was going well so far, everything in place with the floor plan they had studied the night before, yet Kieran still couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness. He tried to ignore the space beside him where his partner should have been. He failed. The trio took their seats as the curtains rose and the show began. Kym and Will fixed their attention on the box where the trade was meant to happen. Kieran spared it only a single glance. It was empty. His eyes swept back and forth across the rafters above the stage. He felt his heart rise into his throat. Where was Lauren? She should've been in position by now where was- there. So still and silent she seemed to be melded to the shadows, was Lauren. He felt his breathing calm slightly and he relaxed his hands, which he hadn't even noticed to be clenching the seat so aggressively. This did not escape Kym's notice.

"Everything alright there, White?" She whispered suspiciously. Kieran's gaze never left Lauren, as if the second he looked away she would disappear and be lost to the shadows. What was wrong with him?

"Never better." He replied. Kym's eyes narrowed at him but she said nothing. 

\----------------------------------

The show was almost over. The show was almost over, and nothing had happened. No trade off, no appearance of anyone in the box seat across the audience. Nothing. Kieran felt his stomach drop. Something was very wrong.

"Well it looks like your informant was wrong, Hyacinth." Will spat at him. The show's finale began. Kieran waved him off, his eyes fixed on Lauren. Look at me. Look at me! Kieran thought, as if his urgency could transmit his message into her mind. She was still staring at the empty box seat. 

"Hey! Earth to Kieran!" Will whisper hissed at him, waving a hand in front of his face, breaking his concentration. Kieran's head whipped to look at Will, snatching his wrist from in front of his face. 

"Will you shut up? I'm trying to figure out what's going on!" Kieran spat, already turning back to Lauren. She was still there. But she had company. A flash of a golden blade in the rafters caught Kieran's attention. No. He thought. No. No. No. No. No. Not happening. He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell out to Lauren, to tell her to run, to come back, come back to him, but he couldn't. The show was still continuing below, ratcheting up to its grand finale, while a far more horrifying display played out above. 

"What's wrong?" Kym questioned. She hadn't seen the glint, but Kieran's fear was palpable and did not go unnoticed.

"Belladonna." Kieran answered. He felt his breaths quickening. His heart was beating rapidly. His heart was gone. No. His heart was up there. In the rafters. He watched in horror as Belladonna made her move. The slash of her blade was drowned out by the sound of the opera. Lauren dodged just in time and jumped backwards to another beam. Belladonna followed and the two exchanged a relentless and silent flurry of blows, dodging and striking, high above the stage, completely unnoticed by all but three patrons in a box seat. They balanced on the beams, a fall below them, a roof above them, an opponent in front, looking as if they were engaged in the world's deadliest dance. Kieran shot up and leaned on the boxes railing, gripping it with all the force he didn't know he had. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not Lauren. Anyone but Lauren. Kym and Will followed suit, finally noticing the battle in rafters. The show's volume swelled, the end but seconds away. Suddenly, Belladonna reached out with a lightning quick strike to the side of Lauren's head. NO! But Lauren wasn't dead. Lauren wasn't spouting blood or falling off the rafters onto the stage. Belladonna had hit her with the butt of her blade. Lauren sank into unconsciousness and Belladonna caught her before she could slip off the edge. She swung Lauren's limp form over her shoulder and began running, full tilt, across the rafters.

What the hell? Belladonna hadn't killed her. Why? Kierans frantic thoughts were interrupted as, just as the final note of the opera fell quiet, one of the overhead lights exploded in a burst of glass and light. A distraction. A distraction for Belladonna's escape. 

The theatre erupted with the screams of frightened patrons, overwhelming the sound of Belladonna's feet above them as she made her escape. Kieran's partner, his other half, his heart, was carried out of sight in a flash of light and screams. The noise of the audience faded. But it was too late. Belladonna was gone, and so was Lauren. Kieran was about to run out of the box. He was about to sprint down the stairs and after Belladonna, when something caught his eye across the sea of red seats and people. A flash of white hair. Grey eyes. That smile. That goddamn smile that still haunted Kieran after all this time. The box seat was no longer empty.

This had all been a setup. False information had been fed to Kieran's informant. This had all been a trap. And Kieran fell for it. And now Lauren was gone.

"Rosenthal," Kieran seethed. Will's head whipped up from the audience.

"Dylan?" He questioned aloud. 

"You know him?" Kieran hissed, staring at Will with an intensity he had never known before. But before Will could answer, a clap rang through the silent theatre. 

"Bravo! Bravo!" The call rang out across the audience. Slowly, the claps and cheers were picked up by the audience. Soon the whole theatre rang out with admiration and applause. Later that night, word would spread of the opera's genius use of the broken lamp to represent the horrendous tragedy that was the protagonists fate at the end of the show. To no one, would it occur, that the exploding light was simply that. No extra meaning or symbolism attached. Just faulty hardware. A distraction. No one but the four people staring at each other from the box seats above the audience. Kieran locked eyes with the man opposite him. Dylan Rosenthal, the perpetual terror of his memory. The roar of the audience filled his ears, and he saw Dylan's lips moving without sound, but he knew what he said next. 

"Your move." And with a grin, he turned and made his escape. 

"That's not possible. Dylan...he's dead he can't-" Will muttered. Kieran had no time for this. He had no time for puzzling out how the Lieutenant knew Rosenthal, or what he could possibly want with Lauren. His partner, his other half. He just knew he had to get her back. 

"Come on!" He roared over the noise of the crowd and flung himself out the door and down the stairs. And he's running. He's flying, tearing down the stairs with a speed and a desperation that he's never felt in his life before. He hears Kym and Will behind him. He keeps running. Into the empty lobby. The rest of the audience is still in the theatre waiting for bows, the final curtain call. They think the show is over. For them it is. For Kieran, it is very much not. Kym and Will catch up to him.

"Where are they taking her?! We need to catch them!" Kym yells, desperation in her voice, a wild look in her eyes. Lauren is like a sister to her. She will not lose another sister.

"The car! Get to the car! We can follow them!" Will screams, already sprinting for the door. Kieran and Kym follow, and soon Kieran is in the lead. He's running like he's never run before. Not Lauren. Not Lauren. Not Lauren. They can't have Lauren too. The three reach the car. In a flash they're all inside. Will's sitting shotgun. That's Lauren's seat he can't sit there she should be- There's no time for Kieran to entertain this thought. He punches the gas, and they shoot out of the valet lot like a bullet from a gun.

"There! That truck! That's gotta be them! Go!" Will orders, his sharp eye just having caught the back of a truck pulling around the corner ahead of them, out of the lot around the back of the opera. Kieran spots it, and just like that, they're on the truck's tail. They speed after it through the city. Every time Kieran tries to pull up in front of the vehicle, it speeds up, but never enough to lose them. Why aren't they trying to lose us? Soon, the truck has led them out of the city. They're on some dark, empty road. No buildings, no nothing, just a truck, a car, two sets of headlights, and desperation. 

"If we could just-" Kieran starts. 

"No. I'll handle this." Kym growls from the backseat. She wheels the window down, and she's leaning out of the car, over the road. Kym pulls her gun from her jacket pocket and aims. The burst of gunfire splits the air with three harsh cracks, and the hinges fall off the back of the truck, taking the door with them. Kieran swerves violently to avoid the sheet of metal that comes flying back at them. As he straightens out the car and peers inside the truck, he feels himself die inside. It's empty. There's nothing in the truck except for a few empty burlap sacks and the driver in front. A decoy. The truck was a decoy to draw us away from the real escape. And he fell for it. It had been another trick, and he fell for it. And now Lauren was gone. Kieran slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt. The truck sped away from them, lost into the night. Eclipse had been played.

\----------------------------------

Eclipse was back in the cave, only, this time, they were missing one of their own. The floor plan of the Opera House was still spread out on the desk, mocking them. Kieran felt a surge of rage. He was going to find Rosenthal and rip him apart. Snap his spine like a toothpick. Kym flopped defeated into a chair. Her eyes, normally so bright and joyful, looked dead as she stared off into space. Will glared at Kieran. 

"What? What is it, Lieutenant?" Kieran growled, his hands squeezing the edges of the desk so hard that his fingernails left little indents. "Come on now. Spit it out." Will hesitated. And then something snapped and he started screaming.

"I just find it funny that you're acting so beat up over this. This was your plan! You put Lauren in danger! You got her dragged into this whole mess! You don't get to be so upse-" 

"YES I DO GET TO BE FUCKING UPSET! YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT THIS IS MY FAULT? I KNOW! I KNOW I SHOULDN'T'T HAVE EVER DRAGGED HER INTO THIS! I KNOW THAT SHE'S TOO GOOD FOR ME AND I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALLOWED TO TALK TO HER! I KNOW! BUT I GET TO BE UPSET ABOUT THIS! SHE'S MY PARTNER! SHE'S MY FRIEND TOO!" Kieran roared, pouring all his rage into his voice. Kym and Will flinched. They had never seen him like this before. So utterly ruined. But Lauren had. Lauren knew how to deal with him without flinching. Lauren. "S-she's everything to me! And now she's gone! AND IT'S MY FAULT!" He screamed, tears pouring down his face, dripping onto the Opera House map. The map. Lauren's knife was still stabbed into its center. Lauren. "I-I can't. I don't know how-" Kieran whispered, sobs racking his body. He was shaking all over. He looked back up at Soleil, eyes wild and desperate. They both had tears in their eyes, staring at him with shock. Kym's face was the first to soften. 

"We know. She was everything to us, too. We'll get her back, Kieran. We're gonna get her back." Kym sounded so confident. How could she be so confident when so much had gone wrong. When everything was flipped on its head and Lauren was gone and nothing could ever be right in the world again. Kieran felt the cave walls closing in on him, squeezing him into nothingness. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't-

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. Kieran looked up, the cave walls receding. He could breathe again. Will was right in front of him, looking at him with a strange sort of grudging respect in his eyes. 

"We're not gonna let her get away from us that easily. We are going to get her back, Kieran." Will's hand drifted off his shoulder, leaving behind a new steely determination. Kieran nodded. 

"You knew him. How did you know Dylan?" Kieran inquired. This was important. This could explain things, make sense of the senseless. Will swallowed and looked away. 

"Lauren and I, we were friends with him. Back when we were kids. But he… he died. I don't know how he was there… he should be dead. He is dead." Will was the one shaking now.

"How are you so sure?" Kieran pressed. He needed to know. He needed the details in order to understand this. Will let out a shuddering breath before continuing. 

"He died in the AST. I know he did. There was no way he didn't. L-Lauren was there. She saw him go back in right before the explosion. If there was ever any chance that he was still alive, Lauren would have found him. She would have made sure of it." Silence filled the cave. The thought of Lauren suffering through the AST made Kieran want to break something. The Lieutenant turned back to him. "How do you know him? How is he alive?" Kieran hesitated before answering.

"Dylan and I were both taken from the AST. We were trained for the Scythe together." Kieran shuddered, all the horrible memories of training rushing back to him. The blood and screaming and betrayal. The white haired boy with his grey eyes. His plan. His plan to finish training in the Scythe and find his childhood friend. The one with flaming red hair and eyes he swore were made from stars. He was going to find her, he said, and hide her away from the world that he had discovered to be so cruel. Oh shit.

"We have to find her. As soon as possible. No matter what it takes." Kieran hissed, desperation and fear seeping into his voice. Kym spoke up, standing from her chair. 

"No matter what it takes." 

"No matter what it takes." Will echoed the statement. Kieran looked at them both. Lauren's friends. His friends? He did not know. It didn't matter. He drew his knife, and slit his palm, red blood pooling in his open hand. He held the knife, handle out, to the two officers. No hesitation. They each took the blade in turn and slit their palms. The sun shook hands with the moon, and the deal was sealed. A deal to save a deal. A deal to save a partner. A deal to save a friend. Maybe something more. 

\----------------------------------

Passing Lauren's empty desk in the precinct was pure torture. Kieran had to walk by it every time he had a file to deliver to an officer. He could barely keep himself from screaming every time he saw it. 

In the effort to avoid suspicion, Kym told Tristan that Lauren was having an extended sleepover at her place because her family was out of town and she wanted company. Will called some of Lauren's many amassed vacation days into the office. It had been two days. Two days of nothing. Eclipse had spent every waking moment outside of work searching. Searching for a clue, a lead, anything at all. Nothing. All three of them had deep shadows under their eyes. Each time Kieran heard another officer comment on the unprecedented absence of Lauren Sinclair, he felt his heart rip further in half. They were going to go back out tonight. And tomorrow night. And the next, and the next, and the next until they found something. Anything at all.

The day seemed to pass at an impossibly slow pace. All Kieran wanted to do was sprint out of the precinct, hunt Dylan down, and tear him apart. What was he doing to Lauren? Where was Lauren? Was she okay? Was she in pain? Did she miss him like he did her? These were the questions whirling around Kieran's head in a tornado of not knowing. By the end of the day he had enough pent up nervous energy to level a city. 

Kieran waited outside the precinct's main entrance for Kym and Will. They join him in the bitter winter air, and together, silently, the three of them begin walking. They all know where they're going tonight. The Grim Goblin. Two blocks from the bar, the two officers break off into an alley to wait for Kieran's return. They disappear into the shadows with two quiet whispers wishing him luck. Kieran continues on, down the dark street. He flips his hood up and slips into the bar, orders a drink, and settles into a hidden corner to wait. He doesn't have to sit long. The door swings open, and Dylan Rosenthal steps into the room. He weaves around the patrons towards a table along the wall. It takes all the strength in Kieran not to go over there and end his life right now. He holds back. He needs to find out where Lauren is. Once he knows, he can give Dylan the pain he deserves. There's a scratch along the side of his face. It's new. Lauren. That's my girl. A camera hangs from Dylan's neck. Kieran gave him that camera, a gift to celebrate them making it through training. He hadn't known then, what would become of Dylan Rosenthal. The monster he would transform into. Kieran sinks further into his seat, glaring over the rim of his drink.

Dylan slumps into a seat, drink in hand. Soon enough, he is joined by an unwanted company. 

"Rosenthal! Been a while." The newcomer crows, slipping into the seat across from the white haired man. Dylan glares at him. 

"What do you want, Weber? I'm in no mood."

"It's not what I want as much as what I want to know." Dylan only raises his eyebrows and nods for him to continue. 

"I hear you've got something going on in the Ninth District. Anything that might happen to affect me?" Dylan's eyes narrow.

"It's a personal project, and if you value your life, you'll stay out of it," he growls. Weber's eyes widen and he nods his head, shifting to leave. "Hold on just a second, Weber. Now I've got a question for you. Heard anything about the Purple Hyacinth lately?" Weber swallows.

"T-the PH? No I-I don't think so. Why do you ask." 

"Oh you know. Curiosity," Dylan growls before tossing back his drink, slamming the empty glass on the table, and leaving the bar, his plans for a relaxing night thoroughly ruined. 

The ninth district. Kieran's up and out of the door in the blink of an eye. He has places to be.

\----------------------------------

The next night, Kieran, Will, and Kym make their way to the ninth district. Keeping to the shadows, Kieran leads them to the train yard.

"You sure this is the place, White?" Kieran sighs.

"Yes, Kym. Or at least, as sure as I can be. I know the Phantom Scythe has done dealings here in the past, which is the best lead we have so far. Unless you have any better ideas?" Kym rolls her eyes at his response. Will cuts in before she can say something stupid.

"Alright then. Let's get searching." Nodding his agreement, Kieran scales the chain link fence surrounding the yard and drops to the ground on the other side. The two officers follow, and just like that, they're in. Kym reaches for her flashlight, but is stopped by Kieran. He pulls her and Will behind an empty shipping container. 

"Security. There's never security here. It's not an important enough location," Kieran mutters, peering around the corner to size up the two guards making their rounds. 

"Well, apparently, it became important enough - to one person at least." Kieran looks at Will. He knows what the Lieutenant is implying, but doesnt dare get his hopes up. They wait behind the shipping container, observing the guard shifts. 

"Two guards per group. Five minute rotations with around 45 seconds for shift changes," Kym mutters under her breath.

"And, they all seem to be focusing on that train," Will chimes in, pointing at a long blue train with at least 10 big cars. Kieran glares at it. Something's off here. Then he spots it. He curses under his breath, not escaping Kym's notice.

"What is it?"

"The train cars. They aren't connected like they should be. They're... welded together. It's basically a massive hallway, and assuming any windows are locked, the only points of entry are the front and back cars. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make this train hard to get into." Kieran glances back at the two officers. 

"Alright then. Here's the plan. Kieran, you enter through the back car. Kym and I go through the front. Search all the cars, moving towards the middle. If Lauren's in there, we won't miss her. Eventually we'll run into each other somewhere in one of the center cars, and we can figure out how to get out from there." Kieran nodded and turned back to the train and the guards, counting the seconds to the shift change. The second the two guards rounded the corner and were out of his line of sight, he hissed "Forty-five seconds for you to get in. Make them count." And then he took off. He reached the back car and picked the lock as fast as he could. He could just make out the sound of the two new guards rounding the corner as he slipped inside and locked the door behind him. He was in. He could only hope that his two partners had been as quick as he was. He scanned the car he was in. Empty. A fancy lounge area for rich travelers. Not anymore it isn't, Kieran thought bitterly, this train isn't going anywhere. Kieran moved from car to car, so silently he might have been a ghost. No Lauren. 

If I find her I'll let her call me Subordinate. She can call me anything she wants, anything at all, as long as she's safe.

He entered the fourth car. Compartments. This is going to take a while. Then he froze. He could see light flooding from under one of the doors farther along the hall. He could hear voices. And footsteps. 

Kieran threw himself into the nearest compartment and crouched down. He heard a door slide open. Suddenly, the voices were no longer muffled. He knew that voice, and it took everything in him not to jump out and murder its owner. But he stayed hidden. He had to, for the sake of the plan. 

"One day, you'll understand that I did this for you, Ren. For your safety. The world is too cruel for someone as incredible as you." said Dylan, stepping out into the hall. Kieran heard a slurred whisper answer, and felt his heart jump out of his chest. Lauren. She's alive. She's right there. 

Dylan chuckled and closed the door behind him. Kieran heard a lock click, and peered around the corner to watch him leave the car. As soon as Kieran could no longer make out Dylan's receding footsteps, he was at the compartment door. He picked the lock and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. There she was. Lauren. She was on one of the plush bench seats, leaning against the wall, eyes closed. Kieran would pay anything in the world for her to open those gorgeous eyes and look at him. He saw tear tracks on her cheeks and felt a surge of rage the likes of which he had never felt before. Lauren whimpered, eyes still closed, and spoke. Her voice was slurred and weak. She was shaking. 

"Please leave. Please." 

She thinks I'm him. Kieran felt tears prick his eyes, and he surged forward. Suddenly he was on his knees on the ground next to her. 

"Lauren," he gasped through the tears, "it's me." Her eyes snapped open. Those beautiful eyes that pierced his heart with a single glance. 

"K-Kieran? Am I… dreaming again?" She whispered.

"No. No, you're not dreaming. I'm real." He reached out and cupped the sides of her face in his hands. "See? I'm real. I'm right here." Lauren's eyes widened and she jumped forward. She was hugging him. A flash of surprise crossed Kieran's face, and then he was squeezing her back in a bone crushing embrace.

"You're here."

"I'm here." Kieran pulled her off the bench and down across his lap. He pulled back her face so he could look at her and make sure she wasn't hurt. Lauren caught his gaze and knew what he was doing.

" 'mfineKierun." Her voice was slurred. Kieran's eyes widened. 

"Did he drug you?!" He growled. 

"I...I think so? A sedative or someth'n." Kieran was going to kill him. He really was going to kill him. But first he was going to get Lauren out of here. He picked her up, just like he had after she fell out of that tree. But this time, she didn't get mad at him, she just leaned into his shoulder. 

"We have to go." He pulled open the compartment door and ran down the hall towards the center of the train to find Kym and Will. He would just have to hope that Dylan had left already or was distracted with something. Kieran had never been so happy to carry someone before. He ran through the fifth car and the sixth and his arms were burning and his legs felt heavy but it didn't matter. None of it mattered because Lauren was alive, and safe, and in his arms. The next door was locked. Kieran set Lauren down in a chair, trying and failing to ignore how wrong it felt to let go of her, and turned to the door. He had just managed to pick the lock when Lauren gasped.

"Kieran watch-!" He whipped around just in time to feel the brush of a knife skim past his face and sink into the wall behind him. The door to the car they had just came through slammed shut, revealing Dylan from behind it. 

"Hey Kieran! Long time no see," Dylan growled. Kieran drew his sword. Lauren went to stand from the chair, but her legs went weak and she collapsed backwards. "Oh dont worry Ren. I'll handle this quickly." 

"Like hell you will." Kieran hissed, stepping between Dylan and Lauren. Dylan grinned and whipped out a dagger. Suddenly, he lunged for Kieran, slicing right where his throat would have been had he not jumped back out of the way. Blades flashing like lightning, the two slashed at each other viciously, each intending to kill. Dylan was fast, and somehow kept managing to get right up close to Kieran with his attacks, despite Kieran's sword. Kieran was filled with rage and was about to go in for the final attack when he was suddenly up against the wall, Dylan's knife to his throat. He looked into his wild grey eyes and saw only hatred. 

"Goodbye, Kieran." He made to slice the blade across his neck, when there was a guttural scream from behind him. Lauren hit him square in the back of the head with the lamp that had been beside her chair. Dylan stumbled away from Kieran and Lauren slumped back against the wall, her legs shaking. Whatever Dylan had drugged her with had been strong. 

"Kieran-" Lauren began, panicked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine Lauren." She sank to the floor once she had confirmation that he was unharmed. Out of the corner of his eye, Kieran noticed Dylan bringing his knife back up for another attack. Kieran raised his sword in response. The two circled each other, blades drawn, muscles tense, waiting to see who would make the first move. It was going to be a rough fight. I'm going to win. I have to win. For Lauren. 

Before either of them could strike, the door behind Kieran that led to the front of the train burst open. 

"Don't move!" Kym roared, gun aimed right at Dylan's head. "Drop the knife!" Dylan hissed and dropped the dagger to the floor. Kym spotted Lauren and lowered her gun, rushing over to her. 

"Lauren? It's me! It's Kym!" 

"Hey Kym." Lauren's voice was still weak and shaky. Will whirled around from where he had dropped down besides his two friends.

"What did you do to her?!" Will yelled, but Dylan was gone. He had escaped through the back of the train. "We have to go after him!" Will was already making for the door, but Kieran held him back.

"No. It doesn't matter. We have to get Lauren out of here. He might be alerting the guards." Kieran lifted Lauren back into his arms and took off towards the front of the train, Kym and Will following behind him. They burst into the cold winter air, not caring who spotted them, and pelted across the train yard. As he ran, Kieran looked down at Lauren. 

"You came for me." She whispered into the crook of his neck. 

"Of course I did, Lauren. Nothing could have kept me away." 

"Don't go soft on me now, subordinate." Kieran chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Darling."

\----------------------------------

Kieran sat in a chair next to his bed, staring down at his sleeping partner. They were back at his apartment so Lauren could sleep off the drug without any uncomfortable questions from her Uncle. Kym and Will were in Kieran's kitchen, making food for the four of them, and as much as Kieran wanted to make sure they wouldn't burn his house down by accident, he couldn't bring himself to leave Lauren's side. Kieran observed the way her fiery hair fanned out on his pillow and felt a surge of affection rise in his chest. He had started staring out the window at the soft snow coming down from the sky, lost in thought, when he felt a tug on his arm.

Lauren wrapped herself around his arm, pulling it close to her. She mumbled something incoherent and cuddled her face to his skin. Kieran blinked in surprise and felt his cheeks turning red. He smiled softly and leaned closer, relaxing his arm in her grip. For a moment, the world was perfect. 

Dylan's still out there. I still have to find him, Kieran thought. And he would. Eventually. But for now, he would enjoy the feeling of his partner beside him, because she was safe, and she was here. Lauren was here with him, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
